The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is an architectural framework for delivering Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia to mobile users over various types of wireless and fixed networks. Through advancements in wireless access technologies, IP-based communications for multimedia application services became available for various types of mobile devices. Subscribers of second and third generation mobile communication networks are offered application services which require access to special network subsystems such as the IMS. Examples of such application services include white board discussions, video conferencing, Push to talk over Cellular (PoC), Voice over IP (VoIP), real-time content sharing including video/audio files, instant messaging, interactive gaming, and the like.
An important component of IMS based service delivery is the availability of clients on end-user devices. These IMS clients are often tailored to suit the specific needs of service providers and require custom development to make them interoperate with the IMS core network. This means expending time and effort to build custom clients, often at the expense of time to market of these services. As such, there are a number of challenges and inefficiencies found in traditional IMS based service delivery.
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.